Western

German manufacturer Raumedic will build its first U.S. plant in Henderson County, creating 138 jobs and investing $26.3 million over five years. The company makes polymer components such as tubing and catheters for the medical and pharmaceutical industries. The new jobs will pay an average annual salary of more than $55,000.

A new report shows poverty rates in the Appalachian region have fallen by about half since 1965, when the Appalachian Regional Commission was established to help the 420 counties in the 13-state region. The study says the region still lags behind the rest of the country in several important measures.

The Board of Trustees of Brevard College voted Friday to divest all of the school's endowments in fossil fuels and will reinvest the money into more environmentally friendly funds. The move was mostly symbolic, as only about $600,000 of the school's $25 million endowment is tied up in fossil fuels.

The state's Job Development Investment Grant program, recently criticized in a report issued by the NC Justice Center, is an essential tool for both urban and rural areas to be able to compete with other states for jobs, according to Ben Teague and Andrew Tate, economic-development leaders in Buncombe and Henderson counties.

An organic-food distributor, a brewery and electric-bike manufacturer are among the first class of companies chosen by ScaleUp WNC, an initiative of the AdvantageWest economic-development partnership that will provide education and support to high-growth small businesses in western North Carolina.

Since Seven Falls developer Keith Vinson was convicted in 2013 on fraud and conspiracy charges, Henderson County is left responsible for completing road and infrastructure work at the failed 1,400-acre development. Federal officials refused to reactivate permits for the work to be completed, and it will take six months to a year to secure new ones.

When visitors step off of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Dillsboro, at least nine vacant storefronts are there to greet them. Town leaders are hoping to lure new businesses by offering them cash incentives.

Transylvania Regional Hospital will move its birth-center services to Mission Hospital in Asheville beginning March 5. Dr. Jamie Ramsey, one of two OB-GYNs at the Brevard hospital, said the decision was made to provide a safer birthing process, particularly for high-risk pregnancies and babies that need more specialized neonatology care.

Biltmore House expects a 10% increase in visitors in February and March, thanks to a temporary exhibit featuring costumes from the PBS TV series "Downtown Abbey." Mark Hemphill, vice president of marketing for Biltmore, says the bump in attendance should translate into more tourism spending in Asheville. The exhibit will be open through May 25.

Fletcher-based Outdoor Gear Builders, a trade group that comprises 24 manufacturers based in Western N.C., will hold its first demo-day March 21. Outdoor-gear companies based in Western N.C. employ about 470 people, according to the AdvantageWest economic-development organization.

Asheville's population is growing at a rate of about three people a day, and the city will gain about 3,000 new apartment units over the next two years. The metro area, which includes Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson and Madison counties hasn't lost population in more than four decades.

Asheville City Council could approve two apartment projects totaling 477 units at its Tuesday meeting. A group of local residents have expressed concern over the 309-unit Biltmore Apartments, which they say will cause increased traffic and will be priced too high for the Oakley and East Asheville area.

Caterpillar will close its plant in Franklin, idling 150 workers by the end of next year. Opened in the early 1990s, the Macon County plant makes seals for heavy equipment. The Peoria, Ill.-based company said it will try to help workers find jobs at other plants.

Asheville Angels has made its first investment, totaling more than $100,000, in Plum Print, a two-year-old local business that turns children's artwork into books. The group of angel investors was formed last year to invest in startups in the Asheville area and across the Southeast.

Rutherford County's first solar farm is up and running, and Asheville-based FLS Energy, which built the farm and leases the property, is talking with local economic-development officials about building a second farm. The 15-acre solar array is projected to produce enough electricity to power 300 to 350 homes.

Mission Health says its new outpatient-care clinic in Haywood County will provide basic health care in an area that is underserved. The Asheville-based health-care system expects to serve 5,000 patients annually at the new medical-office building in Clyde, which is expected to be completed by fall.

The architect and developer of Asheville's River Arts District project plans art studios, restaurants, a rooftop bar and other food-related businesses at the 60,000-square-foot 95 Roberts St. building.